Drought in Nobles County, MN: 3.5 years in 10 since 2000

3.5 years in 10

Nobles County, MN: 9 of 26 full years had 13+ weeks in drought. About as drought-prone as a typical US county.

20002025

Drought years: 2000 (22 wk), 2012 (43 wk), 2013 (40 wk), 2014 (23 wk), 2020 (14 wk), 2021 (33 wk), 2023 (25 wk), 2024 (16 wk) and 2025 (13 wk). Not a single drought week in 2001, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019.

Keep a lawn, but switch to drought-tolerant grass

Dry years come often enough to kill a thirsty lawn every few summers. Keep the lawn, reseed with a drought-tolerant mix, and put the beds on drip.

If you reseed, use a drought-tolerant mix and do it well clear of Mar, the month drought is most common here. Put beds on drip before the next dry year.

Drought has been more common in 2016-2025 (5 years in 10) than in 2000-2015 (2.5 in 10).

Against the rest of MN

53rd most drought-prone of 87 MN counties; the MN middle is 3.8 in 10. Closest on the list: Ramsey County (3.5 in 10) and Washington County (3.5 in 10). Driest in MN: Wadena County (5 in 10). Least drought: Pennington County (1.9 in 10).

When in the year it hits

Most often in Mar (31% of weeks), then Apr (28%) and Oct (28%). Least in Jun (7%). May to September averages 14%.

26 Jan
27 Feb
31 Mar
28 Apr
15 May
7 Jun
13 Jul
13 Aug
20 Sep
28 Oct
23 Nov
24 Dec

The worst year: 2012

2012: 43 weeks in drought, peaking at D3 extreme. Across 1,401 weekly maps: 21.1% of all weeks at D1 or worse, 7.4% at D2, 2.3% at D3, never any D4. Longest unbroken spell: 46 weeks, Jul 10, 2012 to May 21, 2013.

Lately

Last drought year: 2025, 13 weeks. 2016-2025: 5 in 10, against 2.5 in 10 for 2000-2015, drier lately. So far in 2026: 17 of 44 weeks in drought, through Nov 3, 2026.